Cousin Rivalry
by Kitty Mizu
Summary: ~*Chapter 5*~ Okay, this is my first fic ever uploaded. Rukawa and Sendoh are cousins. They're the most popular guys of Shohoku University. Sakuragi is a newcomer. It's Yaoi. I suck at summaries ^^;;; (Formerly titled as
1. Chapter 1

Authors notes: Well, basically this is my first fic ever! So please bear my grammar. ^^;;;  
  
  
  
It was Monday afternoon at the well renowned Shohoku University in Kanagawa. Rukawa Kaede, one of the most popular guys in Shohoku University, was walking towards the dormitory half asleep when someone tapped him from behind. He was about to beat the person into a pulp when he turned around to see a redhead guy infront of him.  
  
"I-I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?" he asked, "Well uhm, can I ask where the Dean's Office is?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Hello? Are you listening?" he asked, waving his hands infront of him. Rukawa snapped out of his reverie and shook his head, still silent.  
  
"Fine. I know when I'm not wanted. Thanks anyway." The redhead said and turned to leave. " I just hope not everyone in this school is like that."  
  
"First building on the left, you can't miss it." Rukawa said then left. The guy turned around and saw Rukawa's retreating figure.  
  
"What a weird guy, nonetheless cute." The redhead said to himself.  
  
"OI!!! SAKURAGI HANAMICHI!!!" someone shouted. The red head turned towards the owner of the voice who was waving at him.  
  
"I'M COMING!!" he shouted back and ran towards the person.  
  
Somewhere, behind a tree, a man was staring at a certain red head. "Sakuragi Hanamichi…beautiful…"  
  
*&*&*&*&*  
  
Sendoh Akira, another one of the popular guys, came into his room in the dormitory that he shared with his silent cousin. He stood in the door looking all dreamy and stuff.  
  
Rukawa looked at his cousin behind a physics book for a moment then went back to reading. "Why are you grinning like an idiot?" he asked.  
  
"That's harsh to say to your favorite cousin." Sendoh said as he plopped down on his own bed.  
  
"Favorite? You're my ONLY cousin, baka." Rukawa said putting down his book on his bed.  
  
"Oh yeah." Sendoh said. Rukawa shook his head in exasperation. 'I wonder how in the world did this hentai became my cousin. Maybe he's adopted.' He thought.  
  
"So anyway, I just had the most wonderful day in my entire life!" Akira said as he spread his arms when he said "most wonderful." 'Not again.' Rukawa thought.  
  
"I met someone earlier this day. He has this most amazing brown eyes I've ever seen…" Sendoh started.  
  
"That's what you said when you first met Maki Shinichi." Rukawa intervened.  
  
"Huh? Did I say that? That was a year ago." Sendoh said. "Well anyway, he's also tall and well built…"  
  
"If I remember correctly, that's what you told me when you first saw Mitsui Hisashi." Rukawa, once again, interrupted.  
  
"Will you stop interrupting and listen for a while? Now, this you haven't heard yet…I hope. He also has fiery red hair! Hah! I never told you that before, did I?" Sendoh said as he jumped off his bed and pointed his finger at Rukawa.  
  
"Actually…" Rukawa started.  
  
"AAARRGHHH!!!" Sendoh said, messing his gelled hair. 'I just love torturing Akira like this.' He thought, grinning in his mind but soon faded, 'But red hair…'  
  
"You're an ass you know that." Sendoh said as he pout on his bed.  
  
"Hn." Rukawa snorted. "If you can't accept defeat then shut up."  
  
"Bastard." Sendoh uttered softly. Rukawa heard Sendoh but decided to ignore it. He didn't like talking too much. For him, it's just a waste of breath. Rukawa went back to his book but his mind went somewhere or, to be specific, someone.  
  
  
  
Notes:  
  
So? Waddya think? Good? Bad? Or just plain lame? Is Sakuragi very OOC? I'll fix that later. If you guys want me to continue please review. ~kneels down and begs~ PLEASE!!!!!  
  
PS. I would like to thank Afuna for helping me out. Arigatou gozaimasu ^.^ 


	2. Chapter 2

1 ~*Notes*~  
  
2 I'm sorry for the wait. I got kinda busy with some work and other stuff. But I'd like to thank the people who reviewed my fic. Arigatou Gozaimasu. ^.^  
  
3  
  
4 Chapter 2  
  
Sakuragi Hanamichi was holding a tray in his hand and scans the whole cafeteria trying to find a place to sit. The place was overflowing with students. He noticed some of them were sitting according to group. His eyes soon fell upon a table with only one occupant. As he approached the table, the occupant seems to be looking familiar by the minute. When he was a foot away, he stopped and finally recognized who he was and frowned a little bit. 'Isn't he the guy I talked to yesterday?' he asked. 'The Cute Silent Guy?' his mind interjected. A little smile crept in his lips still staring at him. He was about to continue his venture when someone called his name. Through the mass of heads of various students, he found the source of the voice and his smile widen. He saw Sendoh Akira waving at him. Sendoh was saying something but he couldn't hear his words because it was very noisy.  
  
At Sendoh's table, sat 11 people, including Sendoh himself. Akagi was looking at their spiky-haired friend with a frown on his face. "Oi! Sendoh, who are you waving at??" Akagi, the big Captain of the Basketball team, asked.  
  
Sendoh didn't seem to have heard him and continued on what he was doing, shouting at the top of his lungs and waving his arms frantically. Uozumi, another big captain of the Baseball team, examined the tall team member. He sighed and continued eating. Maki, the well-built Swimming Captain, noticed this and asked the big guy. "Is something wrong, Uozumi?"  
  
"Oh…nothing. I just know THAT look." He said, referring to the way Sendoh was showing.  
  
"Hmm…you're right! I think he has found another prey." Ayako, the pretty manager of the swim team , exclaimed.  
  
They laughed and Sendoh was confused as to why they were laughing. They laughed even more to see Sendoh's face all puzzled.  
  
"What are you guys laughing at? Do I have something on my face?" he asked.  
  
Kogure shook his head, "It's nothing Sendoh-san…" he said, chuckling a little bit.  
  
Sendoh frowned at his friends. Then looked once more at the redheaded boy. Just then, three girls appeared and greeted them.  
  
"Oniichan! I've been looking all over for you." Akagi Haruko, the young manager of the basketball team, said.  
  
"Well I'm here and eating. After all it is lunch time, ne?" Akagi joked.  
  
Haruko sighed and sat beside her brother, settling her tray of food beside his. The other two girls sat on the two vacant seats beside Ayako. A brunette with azure eyes sat beside Ayako while the raven-haired girl with chocolate-colored eyes sat beside her friend. "Where've you two been?" Ayako asked.  
  
"Oh around. Hey, did you know that Yumi and Ichirou broke?" the raven- haired girl said to them.  
  
"No way! Yumi and Ichirou have been together for like, forever!" Kiyota, a member of the swim team, exclaimed. His lover, Jin, another member of the ST, elbowed him for shouting like that.  
  
"I heard that Ichirou confessed to Yumi about his relationship with Kurai." She said.  
  
"Kurai? Isn't he the sexy hot guy…ah I mean Yumi's older brother?" Kiyota said. Again he received another blow from his koi.  
  
"Uh-huh." She nodded. "Remember last summer, when Yumi went to London?" she asked. Kyota nodded and leaned in closer. "Well, rumor has it that Kurai had been lusting for Ichirou even before Ichirou and her had been together. So, I guess he took that opportunity and hit Ichirou."  
  
"That's Hikaru for you. The well known Gossip Queen of Shohoku." Mitsui, a member of the Basket B. Team, said. Hikaru, the manager of the Baseball team, beamed a wide smile at them.  
  
"Hey, why is Sendoh shouting and waving his arms frantically?" the brunette asked.  
  
"Let's just say, he found another poor victim to terrorize with his perverseness." Fujima, the handsome soccer captain, replied. The brunette sweatdropped at the statement.  
  
"So Aki-chan, how did your interview go?" Kogure asked her. The brunette manager of the soccer team shrugged.  
  
"Not so good. When I came in, the president was like yelling on the phone. I waited for like 1 1/2 hours and he was still yelling on the phone. Finally after 5 minutes, he was now looking at me. At first I thought he would interview me, but then he ordered ME to make him coffee. Now that was the final straw. So I stood up, looked straight at him and told him, 'Excuse me, but I am NOT your secretary nor am I an employee here. So if you'll excuse, I do not want to waste any more of MY time like YOU already did.' I turned my back at him and went out of his office. I think he fell silent because I didn't here him shout or anything." She explained and sighed.  
  
"Aww, that's too bad. But it's their loss not yours, Aki-chan." Jin said to her. The brunette sighed once more.  
  
"Oh well." She said. She then looked at Sendoh and shouted, "Hey Sendoh! Aren't you finished looking like some mentally disordered pervert, yet?"  
  
Now THAT caught Sendoh's attention. "Oi! Oi! I'm not a hentai." He defended.  
  
"Oh yeah? You want me to prove you're a hen-tai?" she said, looking at him maliciously. Sendoh smiled nervously. Aki frowned at him and said, "Look, why don't you invite the guy over here."  
  
"THAT's what I've been doing." Sendoh said.  
  
"Baka! Do you really expect him to hear you with this noise?" Hikaru asked. Sendoh smiled sheepishly at his group of friends. Hikaru sighed, shaking her head.  
  
"We sometimes wonder how you're related to Rukawa-kun." Haruko said offering herself with a spoonful of mash potatoes.  
  
"Yeah, me too. I mean I'm sooooo nice and handsome and friendly and well he's…the opposite. Except maybe for the handsome part. Well you know what I mean…" Sendoh defended.  
  
"Yeah the COMPLETE OPPOSITE. He's not a pervert like you." Hikaru said. Sendoh sighed and gave up. There were 13 to 1. What else could he do. Ryota then looked up at him.  
  
"Well? What are you waiting for? Go and fetch him." Ryota said to him.  
  
"Alright, alright, I'm going" he said and started walking towards the redhead.  
  
  
  
Sakuragi shook his head in exasperation when Sendoh turned to look at his friends. He then glanced at Rukawa once again. 'Why is he sitting alone?' he thought. When he turned his head, he saw Sendoh approaching him.  
  
"Konnichiwa, Sendoh-kun." He said with a smile as the spiky haired baseball star stopped in front of him. "Sorry, I can't hear what you were saying a while ago. What is it that you were shouting anyway, Sendoh-kun?"  
  
"Aah….eheheh" Sendoh said blushing a little bit. "Well, I was wondering, if you could join me and my friends eat lunch at our table?"  
  
"Thank you. I was looking for a place to sit. But uhm…is it really okay with your friends?" he asked looking at his table.  
  
"It is. In fact they also want to meet you." Sendoh said smiling at him.  
  
"If you say so, Sendoh-kun." Sakuragi said.  
  
"Please call me, Akira." Sendoh said. He then led the way to their table.  
  
Sakuragi took one last glance at the silent boy sitting alone in one table. Curiosity filled Sakuragi's head when he looked away. He then tapped Sendoh at the back. "Sendoh-kun, ah I mean, Akira, who's that kitsune sitting over there alone?" he asked.  
  
Sendoh turned his head, now looking at his lonesome cousin eating his lunch, then looked at Sakuragi. "That's my cousin, Rukawa Kaede. His not the friendliest person in this school but he's okay…sometimes. C'mon! My friends want to meet you." Sendoh said, tugging him. Sakuragi just nodded and followed Sendoh.  
  
Unbeknownst to the two, piercing blue eyes were watching their every movement. "You will be mine, my redhead." He muttered under his breathe. He then resumed eating still looking at the table of 15.  
  
  
  
Aki was looking at Rukawa when a thought occurred to her. She looked at Sendoh and asked, "Why don't you invite your cousin here so he can meet our new found friend?"  
  
"You mean invite Rukawa Kaede, the Ice King?" Hikaru said.  
  
"Why not?" Aki asked.  
  
"Well, he doesn't talk and he'll probably just walk away anyway. So what's the point of inviting him? He's no fun." Kyota said. Aki frowned at them.  
  
"How would you know? I mean, have you talked to him before?" she asked carefully. The group looked at each other and shook their head, well except for Sendoh and Sakuragi.  
  
"Uhm…I have, but I was just asking for direction…" Sakuragi said. All of them looked at him.  
  
"And? Did he answered?" Hikaru asked.  
  
"Well, after I decided to leave, he told me." He said and began drinking his bottle of water.  
  
"I always talk to him." Sendoh said. Hikaru frowned at him and shook her head.  
  
"First of all, your related to each other, and second your room mates." Hikaru said as she sighed.  
  
"Whatever…" Sendoh said. Aki looked once more at Rukawa and sighed. 'They're probably right. He's not very sociable. Besides Sendoh, I'm the only one who talks to him. Man that guy needs to go out more often.' She thought and resume eating her meal.  
  
  
  
End of chapter 2…  
  
~*Notes*~  
  
~shrugs~ I know, I know, Sakuragi isn't his usual loudmouth, naïve self. I'm still working on that. Well for now, this is the best I can do…Please, have mercy on my writing skills…Please review… 


	3. Chapter 3

~*Note*~  
  
Again I'm sorry for the delay ^^;; and I want to thank those who reviewed my fic. ^_^  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Hanamichi was looking around the corridor then glancing back down at the paper he was holding. It was his fourth day in school but he was still not use to the place even though Sendoh showed him the whole school ever since his first day. The redhead sighed. If he keeps this on he'll forever be late for every class he's attending. Just then, he bumps into a girl. He apologized quickly.  
  
"It's okay." The brunette said, "You're Sakuragi Hanamichi, right?"  
  
"Uh yeah.And you are? Sorry I forgot your name." Sakuragi said smiling sheepishly.  
  
"That's okay. It's Fujima Aki. If you're wondering, yes, I'm Fujima Kenji's sister." She said. She looked behind him causing Sakuragi to look behind him as well. "Weren't you with a friend just a while ago? The one you were eating lunch with?"  
  
"He went to his class already. His name's Mito Youhei." He said.  
  
"Aah.Aren't you supposed to be in class as well?" she asked. Sakuragi nodded sheepishly.  
  
"I'm kinda.lost." He said, scratching the back of his neck. Aki sweatdropped.  
  
"Let me see your sched." she said. Sakuragi handed her the piece of the paper he was holding. "You're in luck, we're in the same class. Come on."  
  
"Thanks." Sakuragi said then followed the brunette. She just nodded at him.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Finally Friday came. Sakuragi had settled in his dormitory that he is sharing with his best friend. He plopped down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Youhei entered the room and sat on his bed, placing his books on the table beside his bed in the process. "Whew! What a day!" he said. He then turned to look at his redheaded friend. "Hey Hanamichi, aren't you going to try out for any sport today?"  
  
Sakuragi sat up and looked at his friend. "I'm still deciding." He replied.  
  
"You'd be great in football team you know. You're strong enough to knock your opponent, maybe much stronger. Or maybe Soccer, you fast and you can kick hard."  
  
"I know but I don't want to slide on the ground."  
  
"How about the track team?"  
  
"Nah."  
  
"Swimming?"  
  
The red head shook his head.  
  
"Why not? You're fast at swimming especially the Butterfly?"  
  
Sakuragi shrugged. "I just don't, okay? Just let me decide or do you want me to beat you into a pulp?"  
  
Ignoring his best friend, he continued on. "AHA! Why not try wrestling instead?"  
  
"ARGH!" Sakuragi said as he ruffled his red mane. Sure, Youhei is helpful, but sometimes it can be pretty annoying. Sakuragi looked back at his annoying best friend. "What about you? What sports are you going to try out?" he asked.  
  
"I'm going to try out swimming."  
  
"Good Luck. Well then let's go. Maybe a walk will let me decide." Sakuragi said then stood up and walked out of their room followed by his best friend.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
A certain spiky-haired baseball player was running late for his practice, waiting anxiously for a certain redhead, not that he's ever be on time anyway. He looked at his wrist watch then at the masses of heads and soon spotted a mop of red hair.with another guy?! What is this? Does my Hana-kun have a boyfriend already? These thoughts swirl around the spiky haired lad that he didn't notice that Sakuragi and his companion were right in front of him. "Hello, Sendoh? You there?" Sakuragi asked, snapping his fingers in front of him.  
  
Sendoh shook his head slightly. "Huh? Oh Sakuragi! I've been looking for you." he said giving them his 500 megawatt smile. He looked at his friend. "Who's your.friend?"  
  
"This is my best friend, Mito Youhei." He said.  
  
"Nice meeting you Sendoh-san. Love to stay and chat but I have to get going. Bye Hanamichi, bye Sendoh-san." Youhei said then left the two.  
  
Sendoh sighed mentally when he heard that then focused on Hanamichi once more. "So Hanamichi, what sport are you going to take? You know, Shohoku's Baseball team always wins." he started.  
  
"Nah.I think I'll try basketball." He said casually. Sendoh was.well shocked. "Baseball's a great sport but I like basketball better. You don't mind do you?"  
  
"Mind? Me?" he said. 'I DO!!!' "Not at all."  
  
"Great, so uhm, where's the gym?"  
  
"Over there." he said, pointing to the large complex near the baseball field (uhm.Shohoku is very large.every sports has its own place. I don't know if that's possible, but it's my fic ^^;).  
  
"Thanks." And Hanamichi soon left, leaving a very sulky Sendoh.  
  
End of Chapter 3.  
  
~*Notes.Again*~ So, is Sakuragi still OOC here? O.o? Pwease pwease pwease Review.^_^ 


	4. Chapter 4

~*Note*~  
Arigatou for all of you who have answered my dilemma ^_^....And special thanks to M-i for suggesting the title ^_^  
  
Disclaimer: I just realize this fic of mine doesn't have the appropriate disclaimer but unfortunately, I do not own the SD Characters...If I did, the Anime would have been a real Yaoi Series...hehehehe...  
  
Anyway, on to the fic!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"Nice shot Sakuragi-kun..." Haruko exclaimed. The red head smiled at the manageress and continued to practice his shots.  
  
Sakuragi had been accepted in the basketball team, much to Sendoh's dismay. But then again, he now had another "reason" to be late for practice. Sakuragi had known most of the members of the team since Sendoh had introduce him to them before plus his skills in basketball were enough so it was a little bit easy to join the club.  
  
"Sendoh-sempai, what are you doing here...again?" Haruko asked, not really looking at him.  
  
"Nothing. Just visiting...you guys...again." he said, sending her his 100000 megawatt smile then he looked at Sakuragi who was executing a nice jump-shot.  
  
Farther into the court, Miyagi was observing how Sendoh was looking at the redhead. "He has got it bad for Sakuragi." the small point guard said as he dribbled the ball slowly.  
  
Mitsui made a three-point shot that went in perfectly and answered, "Yeah. Totally head over heels."  
  
Mitsui then turned to Sendoh. "Oi Sendoh! Shouldn't you be running along? You might get punished again by Taoka!" he yelled.  
  
"Hello to you too!" Sendoh replied, smiling at the scarred boy. "Don't worry about me. Taoka-sensei won't punish me. After all, I'M the star pitcher."  
  
"Taoka-sensei won't, but I WILL, if you don't move your ass outta here, star pitcher or NOT!" a voice from behind Sendoh boomed. Sendoh turned around and found a very angry raven-haired girl, hands on her hips and tapping her right foot.  
  
"Hi-Hikaru-chan! I-I was just about to go to practice...I just forgot something in my locker..." the spiky-haired said. Haruko sweatdropped at this.  
  
"If I remember correctly, the lockers are on the other side." she said getting a bit impatient. Hikaru may look harmless but she can scare the living daylights out of Sendoh. So, without further ado, he turned to the basketball team and bid them farewell.  
  
"See yah guys tomorrow!" he said then turned to Sakuragi and waved at him, "Ja Hana-kun!"  
  
"Ja Akira-kun!" the redhead replied as he waved back smiling.  
  
"Move. NOW!" Hikaru bellowed. Sendoh jumped a little.  
  
"Okay, okay, I'm going." Sendoh said sheepishly and waved to Sakuragi one last time...for that day that is. Hikaru glared at the retreating form of the star pitcher then sighed in exasperation and turned to the Basketball team.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that. It's hard to tame someone with...wild hormones." she said massaging her temples as the others only laughed, well except for Sakuragi being confuse, and Rukawa being....Rukawa. Hikaru was about to leave when she remembered something. She turned around to face them once more, "Almost forgot! Don't forget, it's Aki-chan's birthday on Saturday be at Fujima's place at 7:00 pm."  
  
~*~  
A/N:  
In case you're wondering, they can go home during the weekends. That's all ^_^ Back to the story.  
  
~*~  
  
"What theme is it this time?" Haruko asked.  
  
"Hawaiian Luau! Ja!" she said grinning widely and left.  
  
"Why don't I like that grin of hers?" Mitsui asked frowning.  
  
"Because it looks so cynical and malicious?" Kogure, who had appeared out of nowhere, said.  
  
Mitsui and Miyagi nodded in response. Akagi approached the three. "What are you three talking about?" he asked as he eyed them.  
  
"Oh nothing. It's just that many people mistake Hikaru for an innocent young manageress of the Baseball team." Miyagi answered as he started to do his lay-ups.  
  
Akagi snorted, Kogure sweatdropped and Mitsui chuckled and then they all went back to their practice  
  
~*~  
  
In Aki's Biology class the day after, the sound of a chalk being split in half was heard after a loud snore. Huge veins began to pop from the sensei's forehead and murmur's began to rise in class.  
  
"He may be popular, but he has no right to sleep in class."  
  
"Doesn't he look kawaii when he's sleeping."  
  
Random fangirls sigh.  
  
"So are you free on Saturday?"  
  
"What color do you think suits me?"  
  
Then the sensei turned around and everything fell into a disturbing silence. All but the loud snore. Aki sighed and looked at the boy beside him then at their sensei that was fast approaching with dull eyes. "RUKA..." the sensei started when a hand stopped in front of him.  
  
"Hiwatari-sensei, do you remember what happened last week? And the week before that? And the week before that? And the we...?" Aki asked.  
  
"I get the picture Ms. Fujima." Hiwatari cut in, touching his bruised eye under the pair of shades he's wearing.  
  
Every single week, the same routine happens during THIS Biology class. Whenever the sensei tries to wake up Rukawa Kaede, either one of the students gets injured or him receiving a punch on the face. Aki pitied her classmates and her sensei, so she took the liberty to wake him up. She shook him gently calling his name but he didn't budge so she shook him harder this time. Several of her classmate shook their heads and some murmured, "'It was nice meeting you, Aki" When the Fist of Death came flying to Aki's face, she moved her head sideways and grabbed his arm. "I knew those karate lessons would come in handy. Rukawa time to wake up!"  
  
Upon hearing Aki's voice did Rukawa Kaede wake up. Groggily he looked sideways to see who was holding his arm. "Aki..." he muttered only then did she released his hand.  
  
Then the bell rang signaling for the students to come down to the cafeteria to eat their lunch. Soon, the classroom was empty except for Rukawa and Aki. "Is there any time when you're not sleeping?" she asked the yawning boy.  
  
"Basketball..." he answered. She sighed.  
  
"You're a hopeless case." she said.  
  
"I try my best..." he said smirking.  
  
"You should be more like that in front of others, maybe somebody might like you, like you, get it?" he said.  
  
"Are you saying, you don't like me?" he asked.  
  
"I like you but not like you like you..." she said. "ARGH! You're making me confuse."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Anyway, why can't you be more like your cousin, Sendoh."  
  
"You want ME to be a pervert?"  
  
"It's better being dubbed as the 'Ice King.' *pause and thinks* Okay maybe not."  
  
Snort.

"Well, I happen to like it."  
  
"Whatever. Anyway, I'd better be going before your royal guards decide to mince me when they see me with you."  
  
"You don't like being with me?"  
  
"I, for one thing, happen to value my life and reputation. Do you have any idea how scary can those three be when they get jealous?"  
  
"Are you afraid *yawn* of them?"  
  
Shrugs.  
  
"Anyway, I'll see you on Saturday, k?"  
  
"What's on Saturday?"  
  
"My. Birthday. That's what. I'm also inviting our new friends, Sakuragi and Mito. You'll come right? Ohpleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease...."  
  
Sad puppy dog eyes.  
  
"You know that doesn't work on me."  
  
"Fine. I'll just tell your brigade that you're sweet toothed."  
  
. "Fine I'll go..."  
  
"I knew you'd see it my way! Your the best pal a girl could ever have."  
  
With a big grin, Aki left the classroom, leaving a sighing Rukawa.  
  
  
~*Note*~  
So what do you guys think? I'm sorry if I made Rukawa OOC here. Don't worry, he's still the Ice King Rukawa except when he's with Sendoh and Aki.


	5. Chapter 5

~*Note*~

Again, thank you for all the peeps who reviewed my ficcie ^_^ And again, sorry for updating soooooooooooooooooo slow....

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own the SD...

Chapter 5

Practice ended early that Saturday afternoon since Anzai-sensei was having a meeting together with the other coaches. One by one, the members of the basketball club left except for six well-known boys. Haruko left with Hikaru to go shopping for that night's event. Mitsui was just finishing tying his shoe laces when Ryota walked out of the shower room, drying his curly hair with a towel. "Jeez, Ryota, for a short guy, you sure take a long time in the shower. What do you do in there?" Mitsui asked as he looked up at his short friend with a grin plastered on his scarred face.

"I happen to be a very CLEAN person." Ryota answered.

"So you guys are going to Aki-chan's party tonight, right?" Kogure intervened before things can get any worse. Ryota's face lit up at the mention of the party.

"Of course! Aya-chan's going to attend." Ryota said getting all hearty shaped and such. Kogure sweatdropped.

"My sister's going, so I have to go." Akagi said picking up his bag and heads for the door, "I'll see you guys later."

"Later Akagi." Mitsui said then Akagi left.

"What about you, Rukawa-kun?" Kogure asked.

Rukawa looked at him and nodded then picked up his bag and left. "Are you sure he's not mute or something?" Mitsui asked.

"Mitsui Hisashi!"

"Alright, alright...I'll stop."

Then out came Sakuragi with only a towel wrap around his waist. "Hah! That was refreshing." he said then he went to his locker and began to put on clothes.

"Well, we better get going. I still have to pick some things back at the dorm. I'll see you guys tonight. C'mon Min-kun." Mitsui said as he stood up, got his bag and held Kogure's free hand, almost dragging the poor blushing boy. Sakuragi raised an eyebrow then leaned slightly onto Ryota.

"Are they...you know?" he whispered. Ryota laughed slightly.

"Sorry Sakuragi. Well, anyway they're not the only one involved. There's Jin and Kiyota, and Hanagata and Fujima..." Ryota said then turned to Sakuragi. "You're not a homophobe, are you?"

Now it was Sakuragi's turn to laugh. "Don't worry Ryocchin, I'm not. I have friends who are gay." he answered. 'Not to mention, I'm one as well.' he added.

"Hey Hana, you ready yet?" a voice along with a head poked inside the locker room. Sakuragi turned to see his best friend.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." the redhead said as he swung his duffel bag on his shoulder.

"Hey, Miyagi-san." Youhei greeted. Ryota nodded at him as he held his bag.

"Mind if I go with you guys out?" he asked.

"Not at all, Ryocchin, c'mon." Sakuragi said. Ryota twitched lightly as the three of them started walking out of the basketball gym.

"Why do you keep on calling me that?" he asked, feeling a little bit annoyed. "For a guy like you, it's a bit surprising."

"It's a habit of his. He has...nicknames for all of his friends." Youhei chuckled.

"Oh?" he said as he looked at Sakuragi who was sheepishly smiling, "What does he call you?"

"I call him Yo-chan..." Sakuragi replied. A blush crept on his features. Ryota laughed a bit.

"Oi, oi Hanamichi!"

"At least it's better than being called gorgeous." Sakuragi laughed.

"Gorgeous?" Ryota said, raising an eyebrow at Youhei.

"Long story..." Youhei shrugged. Sakuragi laughed once more. Fortunately for Youhei, Ryota let the subject drop.

"So, you guys going to Aki's party? I think she's expecting you two." Ryota said.

"We don't know yet..." Sakuragi said.

"First of all, we don't even know where the place is..." Youhei said.

"I'll gladly give you a lift." he said.

"And Second, we don't know what to wear." Sakuragi said.

"Don't worry about that. Aki provides the clothes. I know it sounds absolutely crazy but she has a thing for dressing up people. No one can say "No" to her. Trust me on this one." Ryota said. "She can be...very persuasive. Hmm...must run in the family. So, how bout it?"

The two best friends looked at each other then at Ryota. Then Sakuragi spoke up. "We'll follow you with my car." he said.

"Great. I'll see you at the parking lot at 6:30 pm." with that said, they went on their separate ways.

~*~

A/N: Aren't I generous? All of them have cars...I wish I had one too ;_;

~*~

Rukawa lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling. It was only 4:30 in the afternoon. Sendoh was out with Maki and Ikagemi, buying Aki a gift and the said birthday girl was busy preparing her birthday bash. He sighed and let his face have its rest. His mind began to drift back to earlier's practice. 

Sendoh didn't visit the gym today thanks to a certain all-mighty manageress of the baseball club. So practice went smoothly with the exceptional "talks" between Kogure and Mitsui. But that's normal now. Akagi was being a slave-driver as usual. Ryota was teaching some freshmen including Sakuragi. As for him, he practiced all by himself. Well, that's what it looks like.

Rukawa has been stealing glances on the redhead though to some people, he looks like he is sleeping. He observed him from afar. He's so full of energy, full of life. He attracts people like magnet. He's also a great basketball player. Oh how he wish he could get to know the young man. He sighed then sat up. He looked at his watch. 5:56 pm. "Better get ready. Aki's gonna hunt me down if I don't show up." he said to no one in particular then he headed for the bathroom, imagining an Aki-neko chasing around a Kaede-kitsune with a big mallet in hand.

~*~

"Happy birthday Aki-chan." Ryota said as he hands Aki his gift. Behind him, stood Sakuragi and Youhei whose eyes popped out as they saw her. She was wearing a blue floral strapless bikini top with matching blue floral sarong, wrapped around her slim waist, showing a lot of skin. And a crown of white flowers adorned her silky brunette hair.

"Aah! You guys made it, Sakuragi-kun, Mito-kun!!" she said excitedly.

"Happy birthday, Fujima-san." Sakuragi said as he and Youhei handed their gifts to her.

"Ah thank you for the gift, boys. And uhm...you can call me Aki. Please come" she said as she stepped aside for them to pass. "Ryota-kun, you know where the dressing room for boys are, ne? Your 'clothes' are labeled as well."

The three boys came in and Ryota lead them to the dressing room. Aki was about to close the door when she caught sight of Rukawa. "Why hello, hello. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't come." she said smirking at him.

"Hn." he snorted. "Aren't you going to let me in?" he asked.

"Wait. 3...2...1..." she counted then a shriek was heard. Aki grinned widely when she saw Ryota coming from the dressing holding what looks like his outfit.

"Aki-chan, what is th-this?" Ryota asked as he holding what looks like a skirt that is made out of straw.

"Your outfit. Is there a problem?" she asked innocently.

"B-but?! How come Mito and Sakuragi get to have the 'surfer look'?" he asked. As if on cue Ayako came into view from behind Ryota.

"Hey, what's holding you back here, Aki-chan?" she asked then looked at Rukawa, "Why hello Rukawa-kun."

Rukawa nodded at Ayako who smiled at him.

"Aya-chan!" Ryota gasped as he took in what she was wearing. Ayako was wearing a plain orange bikini top and the 'skirt'. A small flower was pinned on her loose hair and a flower necklace dangled on her neck. She also has two bracelets and an anklet made out of green straw making her look like a hula dancer. She turned to Ryota then giggled. "Having trouble with yours? Don't worry, some of the guys are also wearing those. Actually, I find it rather cute." she said with a smile as she eyed hers then looked back at Ryota.

That did the trick and off little Ryota went with hearts in his eyes. Ayako gave Aki a knowing smile which the latter grinned back. "I'll be inside if you need anything else." she said then left.

"You planned that didn't you? You knew Ryota was going to complain and you had Ayako ready. And you said that you were afraid of my brigade. You're actually worse." Rukawa said smirking slightly

"I cannot believe you just said four whole sentences." she said faking a surprise look.

"Tch."

"I was joking, Rukawa. And please do not compare me to those three bimbos." she said, pouting slightly.

"Hn. So Are you going to torture me as well?" he asked, face expressionless.

"Whatever makes you say that?" Aki said as the grin came back to her facial features.

"That grin of yours." he said then passed by Aki and went straight to the dressing room followed by Aki of course. He entered the room and Aki stopped at the door. He looked at her and she looked back. "Well?" he finally asked.

"What?"

"Are you going to watch me change?"

"Oops, gomen." she said and with a sheepish smile she left.

Now left alone in the dressing room, he glared at the infernal thing just across him. "The things I do for that girl." he muttered and began to strip starting with his shirt. He was thinking of ways to get back at Aki when the door open and heard a muttered apology. He turned around, enough to see a tinge of red.

~*Note*~

Please feel free to point out my mistakes ...I need it badly...


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